Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless review: Improvements where it matters most

Sennheiser has finally refreshed its consumer headphone lineup with the new Momentum 5 headphones that launched earlier in May 2026, which come in at S$100 more than its predecessor. To justify the price increase, Sennheiser claims to have upgraded features such as ANC performance, Transparency, on-head detection, and more, while maintaining a 57-hour battery life. Let’s see if these upgrades are worth the higher price tag.

Design and fit

The overall design of the Momentum 5 headphones is very similar to the Momentum 4, with a darker mesh fabric on the headband and new metallic accents on either side. 

The right earcup is where everything resides, including the touch-sensitive controls on the earcup, as well as the lone physical button for power and pairing. For wired listening, there’s also a 2.5mm headphone port, and the USB-C port can be used for both charging and wired listening. Sennheiser has included a 2.5mm to 3.5mm headphone cable and a USB-C cable in the case, which is nice.

The headphones are very comfortable, with plush earpads and headband cushioning that help alleviate wearing fatigue. However, the synthetic leather does get a little warm and sweaty in our tropical climate, so you’ll want to give them a good wipe-down from time to time.

The ear cups are decently sized, but as is the case with all over-ear headphones, people with larger ears might feel it’s a snug fit. 

The headphones come with a hardshell carrying case, which is not only much slimmer than other Sennheiser offerings (like the HDB 630), but there’s also a small indentation on the rear that makes it much easier to carry around, or even to just get a better grip when pulling the case out of my bag.

I brought these headphones with me on two overseas trips, and the slim case meant that I had more space on my carry-on backpack for other stuff. Unfortunately, the headphones no longer come with an airplane adapter, so you’ll have to provide your own or stick to listening on your own devices.

One thing to point out is the earcups do not feature a collapsible design. This would have helped reduce their footprint even further and made them more portable. It’s a little disappointing, but most headphones nowadays from brands like Sony, Apple, or even Sonos don’t have this feature anymore. We’ll continue holding out hope, however.

The most notable feature about the Momentum 5 headphones has to be the fact that the batteries are user-replaceable. In fact, it’s incredibly easy. All one needs to do is pull out the detachable earpads, then use a small Philips head screwdriver to remove four screws, and the driver housing can be lifted to reveal the 700mAh battery underneath. 

Since the Momentum 5 just went on sale, the official website doesn’t have replacement parts up yet, but we’re certain it’ll be up there in due time. 

Sound & mic quality

The Momentum 5 uses the same 42mm dynamic driver that its predecessor uses (which is made in Sennheiser’s factory in Tullamore, Ireland), with a strong base to build on. Just like before, the soundstage of these headphones is excellent, with a spacious and airy presentation that accurately places instruments while keeping them separated and distinct. 

One of my favourite tracks to gauge soundstage and imaging accuracy is TOOL’s Chocolate Chip Trip, and the headphones passed the test with flying colours. 

The low end feels even meatier than before, with a richness and good attack. The sub-bass performance also feels more impactful, with the rumble feeling more tightly controlled. There’s a definite lift in this frequency range, and while audiophiles will likely prefer less of a boost, this tuning works very well for general listeners. 

Midrange performance is great as well. The timbre of the headphones has a rich smoothness, and vocals feel quite forward in the mix. It’s a musical, engaging listen with plenty of detail and clarity. 

If you’re itching for even better sound quality and your source device doesn’t support high-quality wireless codecs like aptX Adaptive (looking at you iPhone), a wired connection over the USB-C port will also let you enjoy your music in high-res at up to 24-bit/96kHz. 

There’s also support for Dolby Atmos, and a day-one firmware update has unlocked the head tracking feature. Having tested it out for a bit with movies, it works very nicely and the new onboard sensors in the headphones help to accurately place the direction you’re looking at. 

There are now four beamforming microphones on each earcup for voice-chatter reduction, wind noise reduction and much better active noise cancelling. Mic quality for calls is pretty good, and so is the ANC performance. I’ve been using these headphones in the office, and I’ve been enjoying a perfect cocoon of silence instead of the usual noisy chatter. 

Connectivity & battery life

The headphones run on Bluetooth 5.4 out of the box, although Sennheiser has promised a software update to Bluetooth 6.0. However, we would recommend not to base purchase decisions on what a brand promises, as plenty of brands have failed to fulfil promises before. 

Therefore, we’re reviewing these headphones with the assumption it will continue running Bluetooth 5.4 without support for LC3 or Auracast.

To get the most out of the Sennheiser Momentum 5 headphones, you’ll want to download the Smart Control Plus companion app. 

You get high-res codec support.

The headphones can support up to 24-bit/96kHz.

Not only is it essential for firmware updates, but you’ll also get access to important features like sound personalisation, toggling on-head detection, smart pause and more. If you want the best sound quality, you’ll also need to toggle on the Hi-Res 24-bit/96kHz (aptX Adaptive) and Lossless 16-bit/44.1kHz (aptX Lossless) options. 

There are convenient EQ presets.

There’s also a new 8-band custom EQ.

Additionally, Sennheiser has upgraded its EQ feature, with a new 8-band graphic EQ. While it doesn’t provide the same granularity and control as a parametric EQ (like what the HDB 630 has), it should more than suffice for mot users.

There’s also a Bass boost feature, but activating it resulted in the low end starting to become a bit bloated and boomy, so we wouldn’t recommend it generally.

These headphones come with up to 57 hours of battery life with ANC active, which actually feels like a conservative estimate from Sennheiser’s side. After the first initial charge to 100%, we went almost two weeks without having to charge the headphones again, with extensive listening of four to five hours on workdays. And even after all that, we found that the headphones still had about 10% battery remaining. 

A full charge takes about two hours, and a 10-minute charge will give you enough juice for seven hours of playback, which is more than enough for most regional flights.

Final thoughts and buying advice

When the Sennheiser HDB 630 came out, many folks were wondering how closely it would compete with the Momentum series of true wireless headphones. Now that we’ve tried both, we can safely say that both headphones have their own selling points. Check out the table below to see the specs comparison.

For avid audiophiles who are seeking a truly neutral sound with both the fidelity of wired listening and convenience of wireless, the HDB 630 is the way to go. It also offers more in-depth options like a parametric EQ and the ability to see your signal path.

But if you enjoy a more musical and engaging listening experience, the Momentum 5 Wireless offers that in spades. The boosted bass response is fun but well-controlled, the battery life is still superb at 57 hours and Dolby Atmos support means you’ll be able to immerse yourself even further when watching movies and TV shows. It also happens to be a lot more affordable than the HDB 630.

The S$100 price hike over its predecessor is a tough pill to swallow. But price hikes appear to be an inevitable fact of life these days, and these headphones do mostly live up to their high price tag. Even so, if you can hold out for a sale, a discount would make it much more value for money.

A close competitor would be the Sony WH-1000XM6, which is priced at S$649. If we’re judging the two based on pure audio performance, they both fare favourably, and the purchase decision would come down mainly to whether you enjoy the warmer, darker sound of the Sony headphones or the (comparatively) more neutral-sounding Momentum 5 Wireless.

In terms of ANC, the Sony WH-1000XM6 still wins out in terms of sheer noise cancelling performance. That’s not to say the Momentum 5 Wireless aren’t good, but some of the higher pitched noises still sneak in from time to time.

Ultimately, the Momentum Wireless 5 stands out for its technical chops and musicality. It may not have the best ANC, nor does it offer the best value, but it’s well put together, and there’s something about the way that it sounds that makes it a beguiling option for discerning listeners.

Availability and Pricing

The Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless is now available and costs S$599. You can find it on the Sennheiser webstore and the brand’s official stores on Shopee and Lazada.